David Littleproud (Maranoa, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Small Business. Will the minister update the House on how the government's Australian Building and Construction Commission and registered organisations bills will help small businesses, including those in my electorate of Maranoa?

Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party, Minister for Small Business) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Maranoa for his question. The 300,000 small businesses in the construction industry annually contribute more than $50 billion to gross domestic product. There are 2,240 small businesses in the construction industry in the member's electorate of Maranoa, making up 10 per cent of the number of small businesses in his seat. I know the member for Maranoa is passionate about jobs and investment in the local construction sector.

The coalition government is absolutely committed to creating an environment for these construction small businesses to thrive, not one in which they are concerned for their livelihood. The most critical part of successfully creating this environment is bringing back the Australian Building and Construction Commission to tackle the bullying, the lost productivity and the threats from disgraced union members. The most critical part, absolutely, is doing this.

The reinstatement of the ABCC will reward effort, while making the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union heavies accountable for their actions, whether in Millmerran or Maribyrnong. The reinstatement of the ABCC will allow successful people; decent people; good, hardworking people running small businesses in the construction industry to employ and mentor good and decent staff, without the CFMEU threatening assault and bullying them off future contracts for not bowing to union demands. The reinstatement of the ABCC will ensure the long-term health of the construction industry, rewarding best practice and encouraging good operators to share their skill with new employees, particularly apprentices.

This is the great contrast between the two sides of politics—the great contrast. We on this side of the House want small businesses to excel. We put policies in place to nurture success and drive contribution to GDP. Wilhelm Harnisch, CEO of Master Builders Australia, said recently:

The return of the ABCC is fundamental in ridding the construction industry of the building unions ability ply their trade of fear, intimidation and bullying and to impose special deals on contractors and subcontractors where the community is punished by having to pay up to 30% more for schools and hospitals …

That is what he said. The registered organisations bill will address this exploitation, ensuring union officials are subjected to the same high standards and laws as company directors—we could expect nothing else—and holding CFMEU officials accountable for their reckless and their lawless activity. Union thugs have no regard for the law. They are detrimental to the entire industry, to the union movement and indeed, I would say, to the entire nation.

I speak for small businesses when I say that reinstating the ABCC to hold unions accountable for their actions will be one of the biggest small-business gains that the Malcolm Turnbull and Barnaby Joyce government could offer not only in Maranoa but right across Australia. (Time expired)